Rail-fastener.



W. E. OBRIEN & E. J. QUINN.

BAIL FASTENER.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 2, 1912.

Patented July 15, 1913.

, INVENTORS Wham E. OB/w'en. Edmund J. Gal/Mm CDLUMBIAYPLANQGRAPH C0,,WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATE a WILLIAM E. OBBIEN AND EDWARD J.QUINN, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

RAIL-FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, VVILLniM E. OBRIEN andEDWARD J. QUINN, citizens of the United States, and residents ofKenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of WVisconsin, have inventeda new and Improved Rail-Fastener, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention'relates to rail fasteners and has reference moreparticularly to a device of this class which comprises a bearing platehaving means for clamping the rail in a predetermined position on arailway tie.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive rail fastener,simple, strong and reliable in its construction, by means of which therail can be easily and quickly attached to the tie.

A further object of the invention is to form a rail fastener such thatthe bed or bearing plate supports the rail and carries the grippingmeans, preventing the lateral displacement of the same.

A still further object of the invent-ion is to provide a rail fastenerhaving a bearing plate being adapted to be attached to a tie and havinglocking means wedged in the bearing plate and wedging the rail on saidplate.

A practical embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the structureillustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is asectional perspective view of an embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2 isa central cross section of the same; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3of Fig. 2; Fig. i is a perspective view of the key; and Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the wedge.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 is a rail supported by abed plate 11. Integrally formed with the bed plate 11 and at full lengthof the end and at the end and parallel to the side of the rail is asupporting aw 12 provided with a recess 13 receiving one of the edges afthe base flange of the rail 10. Centrally disposed on the plate 11 andat a distance of the width of the base flange of the rail from therecess in the jaw 12 is a rectangular aperture let, said aperture beingadapted to receive a key 15 and a wedge 16. The key 15 is provided witha recess 17 made to engage the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 2, 1912.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Serial No. 723,493.

end face of the bed plate 11 and the edge of the base flange of the rail10 opposite the one engaged in the recess 13 of the jaw 12. Centrallydisposed near the lower end and on the face opposite provided with therecess 17 and the key 15 is a projecting wedge portion 18 rigidly formedwith and lying in a plane normal to the direction of the rail. The wedge16 is provided with a slit 19 running from the lower end to its middle,and lying in the same plane with the projecting wedge portion 18 andengaging the same. The two jaws 20 formed by the slit 19 in the lowerend of the wedge 16 in consequence of the engagement of the projectingwedge portion 18 and sleeve 19 are spread and bear against the lowerface of the bearing plate, as best seen in Fig. 3. The face 21 of thewedge 16 bearing against the bed plate is slightly beveled toward thebottom, thus permitting different degrees of pressure on the base flangeof the rail 10 inclosed between the jaw 12 and key 15.

The bearing plate 11 is firmly attached by means of bolts 22 to arailroad tie 23, said tie having a recess 24 centrally disposed with theaperture 141 of the plate 11 and adapted to receive the parts projectingbelow the lower face of the bed plate 11 of the key 15 and wedge 16. Thebed plate 11 being firmly attached to a tie receives the rail 10 so thatone side or edge of the base flange of the rail 10 engages in the recess13 of the jaw 12, the recess 13 having the same cross section as thebase flange of the rail engaging it, and then into the aperture 14 ofthe bed plate 11 the key 15 is introduced with the wedge 17 facing therail, it being understood that the aperture is large enough to admit thekey provided with the projecting wedge portion 18. The recess 17 is madeto engage the edge of the base flange of the rail and the lower face ofthe bed plate 11, and again the cross section of the recess 17 beingsimilar to the edge of the base flange of the rail and bed platecombined, as is best seen in Fig. 2. After the key is placed as abovedescribed, the wedge 16 is introduced into the aperture 14 so that theslit 19 registering with the projecting portion 18 of the key 15 and theslight beveled face 21 bears against the side 25 of the rectangularaperture 14 of the bearing plate 11.

In forcing the wedge 16 into the aperture, due to the slightly beveledface 21, the opposite face of the wedge 16 bearing against the keyforces the same against and on the edge of the base flange of the rail,which rail in turn supported on and by the hearing plate is forced withthe opposite edge of the base flange of the rail against the aw 12,whereby the rail is clamped by the wedging action of the wedge 16.\Vhile the wedge 16 is forced into the aperture 1 1- of the bearingplate 11 to clamp the rail on the same, the projecting wedge portion 18of the key 15 registering with the slit 19 of the wedge 16 forces thejaws 20 apart so that the jaws 20 below the lower face of the bed plate11 are spread and wedge the wedge 16 in the aperture and in a planenormal to the wedging action produced by the face 21 on the wedge 16. Itmight be remarked that the wedge 16 in reality straddles over theprojecting wedge portion 18 of the key 15.

To disengage a rail from our rail fastener, a crow-bar is simply appliedunder the edge of the wedge 16 and the wedge forced upwardly by thecrow-bar is forced out of the aperture. Then the key 15 and the rail maybe removed, can be easily seen.

Inasmuch as our rail fastener is formed of very few parts, as seen fromthe drawings, it is a positive lock for a rail, as the wedge 16 clampingthe tie is itself so wedged as to prevent any danger of it beingreleased from the aperture, and in consequence its grip on the key 15and side 25 of the bed plate 11 is permanent and can be adjusted bysimply forcing the wedge in.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is A device of the class described comprising abed plate having a jaw adapted to engage the edge of the base flange ofa rail, a rectangular aperture near the opposite side of said bed plateand normal to the said jaw, a key projecting through said aperture andadapted to engage the edge of the base flange of the rail and the bedplate with one face, and a projecting wedge portion 011 the oppositeside of said face, and a wedge projecting also through said aperture andbearing on one side against said key and on the opposite side againstsaid bearing plate, thus wedging said key against the edge of the rail,and said wedge having a slit centrally disposed in the lower end of saidwedge and in engagement with said wedge projecting portion of said key,said wedge straddling ove* and above said wedge projecting portion ofsaid key by means of said slit, whereby said wedge is wedged in saidaperture.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. OBRIEN. EDYVARD J. QUINN. lVitnesses PETER FISHER, CHARLES A.TARBELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

